Method of laundering



y 1 50 G; KUHN* METHOD 013' LAUNDERING a Sh ets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 7, 1942 July 25, 1950 G. KUHN 2,516,327

METHOD OF LAUNDERING Original Filed March '7, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

July 25, 1950 G. KUHN 2,516,327

METHOD OF LAUNDERING Original Filed March 7, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 25, 1950 METHOD 0117;, LAUNDERING George Kuhn, Silver Spring, Md; assignor' to General Motors Corporation; Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware 3 Original application March '7, 1942, Serial No. 433,818, now Patent No. 2,397,873, dated April 2, 1946. Divided and this application June 7, 1943, Serial No. 489,971

1 Claim. (Cl. 8159) This invention relates to the washing and cleaning of fabrics and articles and more particularly pertains to a method of washing fabrics in power driven washing and cleaning machines.

An object of this invention is to provide a method of laundering articles in which the articles are submerged in a body of washing fluid and in which body of fluid alternate series of upper and lower radially outward impulses are created in a centralvertical zone occupying a minor portion of the lateral extent of said body of washing fluid. 1

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 433,818, filed March 7, 1942, now Patent No. 2,397,873, issued April 2, 1946, which, in turn, is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 164,820, filed September 20, 1937, now Patent No. 2,275,444, issued March The features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a washing machine for performing the method of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of part of the |2 at the top which is closed by a hinged cover I3. The tubflis supported on a suitable pedestal indicated M. The bottom of the tub has a raised central portion |5.and adrain It connects with .thelowe'rmost part of the bottom axially disposed in the tub l0 and, in general, comprises a pulsator consisting of a hollow tubular member such as. a cylinder l1 and an element such as a piston |B,-and a fluid propelling 1-. and directing piston skirt IS.

The cylinder H is of metal and has a closed upperend and an open lower end around the outer periphery of which is aring 20 of rubber or other suitable reference refer to the same .in form with a .closed bottom I l and an opening;

ago

4 The fluid circulating or propelling means is material. The cylinder is secured on the upper a end of a reciprocable shaft 2| which passes through the upper end of the cylinder and'the lower end of the cylinder is submerged so long as the water or other-fluid 22 is maintained at substantially the level shown in Figs. 1 and.2

vThe inner and outer walls of the cylinder are disposed parallel to the direction of motion of thecylinder and during normal operation the cylinder is neither completely submerged nor entirely out of the fluid so that splashing is prevented. The pulsator piston l8 is a cylindrical metallic member shaped similarly to the cylinder I! but is of sufficiently smaller diameter to provide an annular opening 9] of substantial flow area between the cylinder and piston through which the fluid readily may flow. -.The piston is axially disposed with respect to the cylinder and is mounted on a fitting 23, preferably a die casting, which is fixed to the upper end of a piston sleeve 24 through which shaft 2| passes and upon which the sleeve bears at its upper end. Shaft 2| passes in a smooth running' fit'through a collar 25 carried by the upper closed end of the piston I8. The fluid propelling and directing skirt l9 has an outer surface which curves gradually outwardly and downwardly and has a metallic upper part and a flexible fin 26 which is preferably rubber but may be of other suitable flexible material, secured to the upper part. The upper end of the skirt|9 is .secured to the fitting 23 and the skirt is axially disposed with respect to the piston I8 and cylinder Thepiston skirt I9 may be made integral with or separate from the piston l8 and may have other shapes than that disclosed. For example,

the outer surface of. the skirt may be shaped so that it is horizontal,.. or approximately so, ,with a fin on its periphery which extends downwardly and outwardlylike the fln 26. This horizontal skirt is efl'ectivafor the purpose because the opposing streams of fluid from the upwardly moving skirt and from the cylinder will meet 'and be thrown radially. outwardly... Shaft 2| and sleeve 24 extend through an opening in the bottom, of the tubto the ,operating mechanism disposed beneath the tub. To prevent leakage 'offluid through this opening, and to eliminate the necessity of a stufling box, upper and lower bellows 21 and 28 of rubber or other fluid proof flexible material are used. The upper end of the upper bellows 21 is secured bymeans of a me tallic ring 29 or the like in fluid pressure tight relationship to shaft 2| at a point which will not, interfere with .the movement of .the piston :18, and the lower. end is similarly fixed to the upper portion of fitting 23. The upper portion of bellows 28 is also similarly fixed to the lower end of fitting 23 and the lower end is fixed to a neck 3!] on the operating mechanism housing 3| through whichqthe sleeve Hand shaft 2| pass. A nut 32 threaded on neck 30 compresses packing material against the bottom ll of the tub which is pressed against the upper part or the housing- 31 thereby preventing leakage of fluid at this point. A plurality of air vents 33 pass through fitting 23 next to sleeve 24 to connect the cham bers formed by the upper and lower bellows 21 and 28 to relieve air pressure and vacuum produced during operation. The fitting 23 is also provided with a plurality of water vents 35 next to the walls of the pulsator. piston to relieve water pressure in the upper portion of the pulsator piston during operation. In place of the lower bellows 28, a diaphragm, of rubber or other suitable material, of the type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 106,080, filed October 17, 1936, may be used.

The fluid circulating 'or propelling means is driven by a reversible electric motor 36' through mechanism which is mechanically balanced and the parts of which move with complete symmetry of motion during all phases of the operative cycle. This mechanism has been illustrated and'operates in the same manner as illustrated and described in my said Patent 2,275,444. Corresponding parts have been numbered as in said patent and their operation is described therein, and hence is not here repeated.

The pulsator piston and cylinder and the skirt [9 are rapidly reciprocated with relatively short strokes. The movement of the members ii, iii and 1'9 should be materially faster than it is possible for the articles being treated to'follow such movement. Good jresults are obtained with a 'speed of the eccentric shaft of 500 R. P. M. with strokes of the reciprocating elements of 1 in.

to l% in., but satisfactory results will m obtained at speeds between 400 and 650 R. P. M. with the same stroke. The stroke in the'form of the inventionshown in Figs. 1 and 2" may be varied between 1 in. and 1% in. with satisfactory results.

During operation, the clothes are placed in theouter unrestricted. portion of the body of liquid in the tub and on the upstroke of the cylinder l1 and the downstroke of the piston It, fluid-is sucked into the cylinderfrom all directions which draws the articles in the upper portion of the fluid radially inwardly toward the fcylinder Any jet action produced at this point is into the restricted portion of thebody of .liquidincylinder..." .and. produces very little circulating effect on the unrestricted portion of ,the bodysurrounding cylinder l1. At the same time, the skirt i9lhas, .moyed downwardly and has forced fluid from below the skirt in a jet ac- ;tion into the unrestricted portion of the body of liquid surrounding the skirt,radially outwardly alongthe bottom of the tub- On the downstroke ofv the. cylinder and thefupstroke of the piston, fluid is expelled from the cylinder in the form .of anannular jet having a downward direction parallel to the wall of the cylinder through the annular opening 91 and against the upwardly movingoutwardly and downwardly curving surface of the skirt l9 which deflects the fluid jet downwardly .and radially outwardly in the unrestricted portion .of the body of liquid in the lower portion ofthe-tub, with gradually increasing velocity as it moves over the skirt. On each 4 upstroke of the skirt [9 fluid is forced with a jet action outwardly and downwardly thereof from the space within the cylinder I1 into the unrestricted portion of the body of liquid due to the action of the upper surface of the skirt, and fluid is also drawn under the .skirt with a jet action directed into the restricted portion of the body of liquid and is expelled on the downstroke with a jet action into the unrestricted portion of the body of liquid as previously described, along the bottom of the tub. Due to the flexibility and downward inclination of the fin 26 on the skirt l9, it pumps fluid toward the bottom of the tub in the upper portion of its downward stroke, while in the lower portion of its downward stroke it flattens out due to the jet-like radial flow of water from under the skirt 19 thus allowing free escape of the fluid from under the skirt. The use of the fin also makes it possible to bring the skirt almost into contact with the bottom of the tub at the end of its downstroke without danger of injury to one who might put his hand under it, whereby it functions as a safety feature. With rapid reciprocation of these elements l1, l8 and IS, the fluid is subjected to a series of unidirectional, intermittent jerks or pushes in the form of outward jets into the unrestricted portion of the body of liquid which result in the fluid and the articles therein being continually moved in unidirectional circulatory paths about these elements in directions radially outwardly along the bottom of the tub, upwardly along the wall thereof, radially inwardly at the upper portion of the body of fluid and downwardly along the cylinder 1'! and piston [8 as indicatedby the directionof-flow arrows in Fig. 1. These short, fast fluid jerks, pushes, jets, or squirts originate at the open edge of the pulsator cylinder and at the edge of the skirt and set up a series of rapid pulsations in the unrestricted portion of the body or the fluid which spread throughout the unrestricted portion of the body of the fluid and result in the pulsing or forcing of the fluid through the fabric of articles being treated. On the suction strokes the jets are inwardly directed into the restricted portion of the body of fluid, and fluid is withdrawn from the unrestricted portion, but not in jet form. Hence the circulation in the unrestricted portion is dominated by the outward jets and is in the direction illustrated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The outward jets also cause rapid shaking and flexing of the articles being treated with consequent scrubbing other parts thereof in the active zones adjacent the open lower end of the pulsator cylinder l1 and at the lower edge of the skirt l9. As the articles move into the aforesaid active Zones, the end of anarticle first coming under the influence of the zone adjacent the pulsator cylinder is vigorously shaken, scrubbed and jerked and gradually fed downwardly. These jerks spread through the articles so that itsother portions and other end are liberated from the other articles which have not yet entered said zone, thus untangling the article. At the beginning of the fluid treating operation, the action of the pulsator on the fluid heretofore described breaks up bubbles of air in articles such as clothes and the like, which if left unbroken would cause the articles to float on the top of the fluid, and

results in no hydraulic unbalance.

resu1ts primarily from the vigorous flexing and shaking of the articles as previously described during the circulatory movement.

As an illustrative example, but without limiting efiect, a washing machine embodying the form of the invention heretofore described and having the dimensions set forth, when operated at speeds between 450 and 500 R. P. M. with a full load of eight pounds of clothes, completed the wash in ten minutes without previous soaking of the clothes. Pulsator cylinder-4 in. in diameter and 7 in. in axial length. Pulsator piston2% in. in diameter and 6 in. in axial length to the piston skirt. Piston skirt without fin6 in. bottom diameter and 2 in. in axial length. Fin on skirt-8% in. in its outermost diameter. Mechanism stroke1% in. With previous soaking of the clothes, the washing time would be less than ten minutes. Actual tests with this machine have resulted in washings at least 83 70 faster than the washing time required by conventional washing machines now on the market in a ten minute washing test, with 20% less wear on the washed clothes, measured by the amount of lint collected after two hours of continuous washing.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4, the arrangement of the fluid circulating or propelling means is the same as the other form shown in Fig. 1, excepting that the pulsator cylinder 80 is stationary. The operating mechanism is illustrated, numbered, and operates as in said Patent 2,275,444. In operation, on the upstroke, the skirt 19 moves a volume of water downwardly from the cylinder 80 parallel to the wall of the cylinder and against the curved upper surface of the skirt 1%. The sizes of the pulsator cylinder and piston and the skirt l9 are so proportioned that the two actions just described neutralize each other thereby producing hydraulic balance. On the downstroke, fluid is sucked into the cylinder 80 from all directions so that no hydraulic unbalance results. Also on the downstroke, the skirt !9 ejects fluid radially therefrom along the bottom of the tub which also In this form of the invention, as in the other form, both mechanical and hydraulic balance are maintained at all times. To provide the same fluid displacement per stroke and the same downward speed of the fluid ejected from the cylinder as in the other embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the crosssectional area of piston I8 should be twice that of the piston in Fig. 1 and the area of the cylinder 80 should be sufficiently great so that the flow area of the annular clearance 91 between the piston and the cylinder will be the same as in Fig. 1. This follows from the fact that in this embodiment the stroke of the fluid circulating and propelling means is one-half of that in Fig. 1, due to the fact that the cylinder 00 is stationary. For example, if the piston of Fig. 1 is 2% in. in diameter and the cylinder 4 in. in diameter, the piston in Fig. 3 should be approximately 3 in. in diameter and the cylinder 4% in. in diameter. Otherwise, the proportions of the several parts are the same as in the other form, and the results obtained are the same as described in connection with the other form, in-

cluding the unidirectional circulatory movement pulsating of the fluid through the fabric of the articles, the flexing and shaking of the articles which produces rubbing contact of the articles as previously described with consequent scrubbing of the articles on themselves, together with the separating and untangling of the articles resulting from the pulling forces produced by the series of short fast fluid jerks produced by the action of the pulsator cylinder and the piston. During the first few strokes of the fluid circulat ing or propelling means in both forms disclosed, the air is knocked out of the cylinder, after which the action is entirely hydraulic.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form, location, relative arrangement and the materials of the several parts of the machine disclosed without departing from the principles of the invention. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited excepting by the scope of the appended claim.

The method of laundering articles to be washed which comprises submerging said articles in a body of washing liquid, maintaining an upper and lower barrier in the lower central restricted portion of said body, permitting unrestrained lateral and radial flow of liquid and articles to be washed from said portion of said body and producing rapid alternating upward and downward impulses in said liquid between said barriers to produce two Vertically spaced series of outward jet-like impulses of liquid into the outer unrestricted portion of said body and inward impulses into said central restricted portion together with portions of articles to be washed alternately at upper and lower zones respectively from between said upper and lower barriers whereby liquid in said unrestricted portion is subjected to a series of unidirectional, intermittent jets which result in the fluid and the articles therein in said unrestricted portion being continually moved in unidirectional circulatory paths about the central restricted portion of said body in directions radially outwardly along the bottom of said body, upwardly along the outer boundary of said body, radially inwardly at the upper portion of said body and downwardly along the central restricted portion of said body together with a continuous rubbing of articles to be washed adjacent said jets.

GEORGE KUHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 340,418 Case Apr. 20, 1886 764,613 Moreland July 12, 1904 860,345 Vallee July 16, 1907 868,015 Roberts Oct. 15, 1907 1,623,548 Niesen Apr. 5, 1927 2,275,444 Kuhn Mar. 10, 1942 2,303,160 Dunham Nov. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 504,625 Germany Aug. 6, 1930 359,136 Great Britain Oct. 22, 1931 556,264 Germany Aug. 5, 1932 

